Family In To Kill A Mockingbird

Today’s society is damaged with the results of people doing terrible things to each other. Peoples actions can make or break lives.The novel To Kill A Mockingbird, is about a little girl, her Brother, their Dad, and the negro they all fight to defend. The main character scout and her older brother Jem, get into all sorts of dilemmas in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama. As they learn new valuable lessons about life, they also pick up that the small town they grow up in is not as clean and safe as it seems. The father, Atticus Finch is a kind hearted soul who was given the case of Tom Robinson, a negro accused of Raping a white woman. As soon as Atticus was given the case he aimed to defend Tom but a faulty jury made sure it did not happen.To

‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ is a novel written by Harper Lee. It is set during the early 20th Century in the fictional town of Maycomb. Lee has decided to write the novel from a child’s point of view because a child is innocent but as the novel progresses the narrator, Scout, loses her innocence as she deals with the complications of her father being a lawyer. The novel revolves around racism and Scout sees discrimination wherever she goes whether it is racial or social prejudice. The town’s people agree with the idea that whites are superior to blacks. An example of this is when Atticus, Scout’s father, has to defend a black man who is accused of raping Bob Ewell’s daughter.

In the case of to Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee crafts a clear idea of family dynamic between the main characters, using the parent-child relationship between Atticus, Jem, and Scout as the main example. Atticus, who raised Scout and Jem as a single parent, passes his morals to his children in order to help them see the world in a more productive and open minded way. While talking to Scout about how to better get along with people, Atticus explains to her that “ ‘[you] never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it’ “ (Lee 39). This advice from Atticus affects Scout and her outlook on how she has dealt with others, and this change is how her family, mainly Atticus, impacts her and makes her a better person. This family influence also applied to Jem. For Example, when Bob Ewell dies and Heck Tate is trying to explain to Atticus why Jem should not come forward as guilty, Atticus tells Heck Tate that he needs Jem to be treated fairly: “ ‘If this things hushed up, it would be a simple denial to Jem of the way I've raised him. Sometimes I think I’m a total failure of a parent, but I’m all they've got. Before Jem looks at anyone else he looks at me, and I’ve tried to live so that I can look squarely back at him…” (Lee 366). Atticus wants Jem to be treated like an adult because Atticus raised Jem to take responsibility for his actions, and although he questions how he raised Jem and Scout, he wants to stay committed to what he is trying to teach them. This family relationship shows how Atticus taught his children, but also

Many people limit their definition of family to people that they share blood with. However, as student-athletes, we realize that on our sports teams we also share a purpose and goals. Both in a family and community, people serve as sources of protection and comfort in addition to have a common purpose and goals. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the ladies of the missionary circle and Scout reveal division and unity, respectively, within a community. A distinction between family and community is created when the ladies of the missionary circle are denouncing the Mruna’s, members of the Maycomb community, tribal life. A stark contrast, Scout comes to the opposite conclusion at the end of the novel that family and community go hand in hand, and that

As children grow up, they open their eyes to the harsh truths in the world around them that they once did not understand or question. This is experienced by the main characters of Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The story is of a girl called Scout and her older brother, Jem, who go through the trials of growing up in the fictional small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s. Racism is rampant in the mindset of the townspeople, shown when the children’s lawyer father, Atticus, takes the case of an obviously innocent African-American man and they convict him in their hearts before the trial even starts. Through this all, we can see the theme of loss of innocence in the children. Lee uses characterization to portray

Harper Lee, author of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, acknowledged the prejudice in 1930’s America. This novel won the Pulitzer Prize for its strength in upholding the prejudice in a small town in the south. To Kill a Mockingbird is set in a town called Maycomb, where a family of three and their cook lives and deals with this animosity everyday. Atticus, the father, is a well-respected lawyer and Alabama state legislator. He chooses to defend African American Tom Robinson against charges of assault against Caucasian Mayella Ewell. Although Atticus knows that he would not win the case, he still wants to defend Tom to teach his children, Jem and Scout, a valuable lesson. Harper Lee made the right decision in having Atticus Finch defend Tom Robinson; however, the decision came with consequences (Lee).

Throughout the book To Kill A Mockingbird Lee discusses the effects of ignorance and the toll it takes on people such as Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, Scout herself, and many more. Through her examples of sexism, prejudice, and racism, from the populist of poverty stricken Southerners, she shows the readers the injustice of many. The victims of ignorance are the ‘mockingbirds’ of the story. A good example of this injustice is the trial of Tom Robinson, who is falsely accused of raping a white girl and is found guilty. The book is from the point of view Scout, a child, who has an advantage over most kids due to her having a lawyer as a dad, to see the other side of the story. Her father tells her in the story, “you never really know a man until

Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, shows how life was for those in the southern part of the United States, during a time when racism ran rampant throughout the land. Many injustices were committed to those of “Negro” descent, and it was up to those behind the law to protect them as well as those who lived by the law. Atticus, attorney at law, defender of the people, and father to Scout and brother Jem is safeguarding Tom Robinson, accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. As the story continues though, Mayella’s accounts of the facts aren’t quite as how they actually happened. Together, Scout (Jean Louise Finch), Jem and Atticus show courage to stand up for what is right, defend the innocent until proven guilty, and how to remain

According to a report from dosomething.org, in 2009, "2/3 of the criminals receiving life sentences were non-whites." This shows that racism is still going on today and in Harper Lee's book, To Kill A Mockingbird. Her book takes place in Maycomb County, Alabama during the depression. The story is told by Jean Louise Finch, who goes by Scout. She lives with her brother named Jeremy Finch, or Jem, and their father named Atticus. He is an attorney and not afraid to stand up for what he believes in, even if he gets looked down upon. Atticus takes the case of Tom Robinson, who is a black person. He is accused of having raped a white woman, Mayella Ewell. Although the evidence makes the reader believe that Robinson is innocent, the jury finds

In Maycomb County, the residents live in a world of racism and injustice, so much so that even young children are affected by the results. Through standing with Atticus and his decisions, Scout undergoes constant indirect racism when her cousin says, “I guess it ain’t your fault if Uncle Atticus is a nigger-lover besides, but I’m here to tell you it certainly does mortify the rest of the family-” (Lee, pg. 94). Even with family, Scout begins to understand that not everyone shares her close family’s views, and that she may even be discriminated against for protecting her and her father’s beliefs. To add, Atticus always stands his ground, though the things and the people he defends cannot always win, such as when his only evidence is “a black man’s word against the Ewells’” (Lee, pg. 100 ). Atticus can believe in someone regardless of their skin color, yet the majority of his town is filled with racists who won’t believe him, even with

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird was an influential study of race relations in America in the mid 20th century. The development of the main character, Scout, is closely tied to what she learns from Atticus, her father, and what she learns from watching the unjust treatment of Tom Robinson, who is a black gentleman accused of rape that Atticus decides to defend in a court case. As Scout grows up, she is forced to deal with prejudice that every person living in Maycomb, Alabama seems to demonstrate in their everyday life. When Atticus agreed to represent Tom Robinson, he likely knew that many town people would resent any attempt to prove Tom Robinson was innocent. In this novel, Scout learns that there are right and wrong times when one should

classes or the races in the town and hates to judge people. He is a

To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel written by Harper Lee, tells the story of a little girl named Scout. Set in Alabama in the 1930s, Maycomb county, Scout’s home, is a sleepy place, that hides a dark streak of racism. Maycomb gets pulled into a whirlwind court case of sexual assault consisting of an African American man getting accused of beating and raping a white girl. Scout, whose father defended the African American, learns of the deep problems in society. Still in the mindset of constant racism, the jury ruled against the black man, even though the evidence clearly proved that the girl’s father beat her. Unfortunately, this racism survives today, and one only has to take a peek at the news, or a glance outside to notice it. Racism still exists today, as seen through brutality against

In Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird , she recalls her experiences as a six-year-old child from an adult perspective. Scout describes the circumstances of her widowed father, Atticus, and his legal defense of Tom Robinson. Robinson was a local black man accused of raping a white woman, which arose many ethics between society. Throughout the three years surrounding the trial, Scout and Jem, witnessed the unjust consequences of prejudice and hate. Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird was published during the Civil Rights movement, and was used to implicate a Southern racist society by using rhetorical appeals and devices. Throughout the book , Harper Lee reveals her ideas concerning racial prejudice, faith in justice, and the goodness of

While many may view a family as a mother and a father raising a few children, Atticus Finch proves that a family doesn’t have to fit the mold to flourish. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus raises his two children, Jem and Scout, after his wife passed away. Just because Atticus isn’t married, doesn't mean he isn’t able to provide for his children physically, emotionally, and mentally. Miss Maudie comments on his parenting by saying, “Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets” (Lee 61). Atticus is a good parent for his children because he is able to set an example without remarrying. Scout and Jem learn to be honest, kind, and respectful to everyone from Atticus. Scout, the novel’s narrator, doesn’t feel any sense of emptiness by not having a mother to raise her. The Finch’s may not be a traditional family, but Atticus’s parenting shows that they are able to be successful and happy.